Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2014
Motivational interviewing in a Web-based physical activity intervention with an avatar: randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Natural Language Processing Chatbot-Based Interventions for Improvement of Diet, Physical Activity, and Tobacco Smoking Behaviors: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Interventions on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical Activity and/or Obesity Risk Factors: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Promoting Physical Activity Through Conversational Agents: Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Conversational Agents in Health Care: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Computer-Controlled Virtual Humans in Patient-Facing Systems: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Technology-delivered adaptations of motivational interviewing for health-related behaviors: A systematic review of the current research.Patient education and counseling · 2016Pooled it
- Impact of Computer-Mediated Versus Face-to-Face Motivational-Type Interviews on Participants' Language and Subsequent Cannabis Use: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Dose-Response Relationship of a Web-Based Tailored Intervention Promoting Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Process Evaluation of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Trial
- Evaluating the efficacy of the Family Check-Up Online: A school-based, eHealth model for the prevention of problem behavior during the middle school years.Development and psychopathology · 2019Trial
- Long term effects of self-determination theory and motivational interviewing in a web-based physical activity intervention: randomized controlled trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2015Trial
- The acceptability and effectiveness of artificial intelligence-based chatbot for hypertensive patients in community: protocol for a mixed-methods study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Acceptability of Mobile App-Based Motivational Interviewing and Preferences for App Features to Support Self-Management in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Qualitative Study.JMIR diabetes · 2024Article
- Human cues in eHealth to promote lifestyle change: An experimental field study to examine adherence to self-help interventions.Internet interventions · 2024Article
- Evaluation framework for conversational agents with artificial intelligence in health interventions: a systematic scoping review.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2024Article
- Democratizing the Development of Chatbots to Improve Public Health: Feasibility Study of COVID-19 Misinformation.JMIR human factors · 2023Article
- Embodied Conversational Agents Providing Motivational Interviewing to Improve Health-Related Behaviors: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Expressive Interviewing Agents to Support Health-Related Behavior Change: Randomized Controlled Study of COVID-19 Behaviors.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of chatbots on lifestyle behaviours.NPJ digital medicine · 2023Review
- Conversational Agents and Avatars for Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Lifestyle-Related Behaviors: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Conversational Agents in Health Care: Scoping Review of Their Behavior Change Techniques and Underpinning Theory.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDeveloping Web-based physical activity (PA) interventions based on motivational interviewing (MI) could increase the availability and reach of MI techniques for PA promotion. Integrating an avatar in such an intervention could lead to more positive appreciation and higher efficacy of the intervention, compared to an intervention that is purely text-based.
objectiveThe present study aims to determine whether a Web-based PA intervention based on MI with an avatar results in more positive appreciation and higher effectiveness of the intervention, when compared to an intervention that is purely text-based.
methodsA three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted, containing the following research conditions: (1) a Web-based PA intervention based on MI with an avatar, (2) a content-identical intervention without an avatar, and (3) a control condition that received no intervention. Measurements included PA behavior and process variables, measured at baseline, directly following the intervention and 1 month post intervention.
resultsBoth interventions significantly increased self-reported PA at 1 month, compared to the control condition (beta(AVATARvsCONTROL)=.39, P=.011; beta(TEXTvsCONTROL)=.44, P=.006). No distinctions were found regarding intervention effect on PA between both interventions. Similarly, the results of the process evaluation did not indicate any significant differences between both interventions. Due to the limited relational skills of the avatar in this study, it probably did not succeed in forming a stronger relationship with the user, over and above text alone.
conclusionsThe findings suggest that avatars that do not strengthen the social relationship with the user do not enhance the intervention impact. Future research should determine whether Web-based PA interventions based on MI could benefit from inclusion of a virtual coach capable of more complex relational skills than used in the current study, such as responding in gesture to the user's state and input.
trial registrationDutch Trial Register trial number: NTR3147; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=3147 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6NCbwdUJX).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.